Hair-coloring method and apparatus therefor

ABSTRACT

Hair-coloring method and device therefor whereby smaller strands of hair are simultaneously separated from larger strands or locks by means of a series of coplanar hooks, preferably on the back of a comb; the separated strands are then separately colored to provide frosting, highlighting, or shadowing (reverse highlighting) effects.

United States Patent Inventor Appl; No. Filed Patented HAIR-COLORING METHOD AND APPARATUS THEREFOR Primary Examiner Louis G. Mancene Assistant Examiner-Gregory E. McNeill AnomeyEly & Golrick 4 Claims, ABSTRACT: Hair-coloring method and device therefor U.S. Cl 132/150 whereby smaller strands of hair are simultaneously separated Int. Cl. A45! 2 /00 from larger strands or locks by means of a series of coplanar Field of Search 132/150, hooks, preferably on the back of a comb; the separated 151, 152-154, 160, 11, 107. 139, 50-52, 22, strands are then separately colored to provide frosting,

149, 136, 148 highlighting, or shadowing (reverse highlighting) effects.

PATENTED JAN 5187:

IVNTOR.

JOSEPH 7. 5657770 2% ATTOPA/EYS HAIR-COLORING METHOD'AND APPARATUS THEREFOR This invention relates to a method of coloring hair to provide so-called frosting" effects or highlights or shadows which closely approximate the appearance of lively natural shades of hair. This invention alsoencompasses and relates to a novel device which is requisite for the economical performance of the method. More particularly, this invention relates to a device comprising a series of coplanar hook members carried by a base, preferably the back of a comb, by which the hook members may be manipulated to effect a simultaneous separation of smaller strands of hair from combed locks of hair, which separated strands are then bleached and/or colored to provide frosting, highlighting, or shadowing (reverse highlighting) effects.

Except for black or very dark brown shades or, at the other end of the spectrum of human hair colors, the white hairof the very aged or albinos, it has long been appreciated that adjacent hairs in the human scalp are seldom of precisely the same shade, even when the hair color, overall, is not noticeably streaked, as is frequently evident when naturally colored hair has commenced to grey. In fact, the absence of such variations in the shades ofindividual hairs or strands can be a contributing factor to the artificial appearance and lack of liveliness which characterizes many .coiffures of bleached and/or dyed hair. Accordingly, either'by techniques and/or by the take" of the dyes or bleaches used, the more skilled hair colorings effect a variation in the shades of different strands in thecoiffure; this is done in order to achieve a liveliness which simulates that of a natural hair color or, frequently, a frankly obvious cosmetic coloring of the hair.

Heretofore the method of obtainingthe above-described variation in hair coloring which has been most efficient, from the point of view of time and labor involved, has been the cap technique; by this technique a cap similar-to a bathing cap is worn by the patron whose hair is to be treated. The film of the cap is preferably transparent and mayv be provided with preformed perforations through which the strands of hair to be bleached or dyed are pulled by means 'of a crochet hook inserted and then withdrawn through the perforations. If the cap is imperforate or if the operator. wishes to treat a strand other than one drawn through a preformed'perforation, the film of the cap isperforated by the crochet hook and a strand of hair is withdrawn. In either case, the cap then .serves to separate the hair so that only that which is outside the cap will be treated.

It is an object and advantage of this invention that it eliminates the time and labor heretofore involved, either in the above described cap technique or otherwise, iii the strandby-strand separation of the strands of hair to be treated. it is FIG. 4 shows a still further step. I

Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows an embodiment 10 of the type of strand-separating device which is requisite for performing'the hair-coloring technique of this invention. As illustrated, it comprises a series 11 of hooks, 11-1, 11-2, and so forth, to and including, in the particular'device shown, a final hook 11-6. it is to be noted that all of the hooksare substantially coplanar, although it is not necessary that all be turned in the same direction, though they may be. in the specific embodiment shown, the final hook in the series is turned inwardly so that it faces the other hooks of the series. Such an arrangement whereby at least the first and last hooks of the series are turned toward each other provides the advantage that the another advantage and object of this invention that the Accordingly, it is an object and advantage of this invention that it avoids or substantially minimizes the piebald effect frequently obtained by the prior art methods and, thus, a more natural and attractive coiffure may be obtained. By using the device invented for carrying out this objective, an operator can quickly segregate a plurality of strands which may be treated throughout their entire length so that the ultimate color of the hair which has been so treated will extend outwardly from the scalp.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following specification, claims, and drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a preferred form of a strandseparating device made according to this invention wherein it is combined and is integral with a hairdressers comb; Y I

.FIG. 2 shows a preliminary step of 'the'method, using the device shown in FIG. I;

FIG. 3 shows a subsequent step; and

device is less likely to hook into another instrument, a drawer lining, or table cover as it is picked up or set aside during use. Otherwise, so long as the hooks are coplanar, the extent to which they point in the same direction is essentially a matter of choice. The distance between the first and last hook of the series is essentially the width of a flat lock of hair which may be conveniently held by one hand. that is, usually from 2 to 3 inches. The hooks in the series are substantially equally spaced and the number may vary upwardly from three or four, as a minimum; in practice, eight hooks appear to be a practical maximum with six, as shown, being the preferred number when the bights of the hooks are on approximately V2 inch centers.

In the illustrated embodiment 10, the strand-separating array ll is of separately formed wire hooks which have been inserted or molded in the back 12 ofa conventional hairdressers comb 13. The hook 11 may, of course, be molded of suitable plastic integrally and simultaneously with the comb 13. In either case, whether the array of coplanar hooks 11 are separately formed and inserted or molded into the comb 13 or are molded simultaneously and integrally with the comb, it is preferable that the array of hooks 11 also be coplanar with the teeth 14 of the comb; this minimizes the possibility of the hooks interfering with the comb teeth and vice versa. It is also to be understood that rather than being combined with a comb 13,- the array 11 may be formed on or carried by a suitable handle forming a support for the array so that it may be used as a separate hairdressing instrument. Or the array may be provided on hairdressing instruments other than combs. How ever, it is generally preferable to have the array located on the back ofa comb (or a brush if the larger lock is thus separated from the head of hair); this enables the strands of hair which are to be separately treated according to the following method tobe selected from the larger lock of hair with the same instrument with which the larger lock of hair was formed and,

thereby, avoids the operator's loss in time and motion which would be entailed if one instrument had to be put down and another selected and picked up.

To frost" hair according to the invention using the above described strand-separator 10, a flat lock 20 is selected and formed by combing (and/or brushing) so that the lock may be held in the fingers of one hand by the operator ash is formed and may be so held thereafter, as shown in FIG. 2. With the lock 20 so formed and held, the'instrument 10 is then inverted, the hooks ofthe array 11 are passed down through the lock 20 and then lifted up so as to pick up separated strands 21 on the books of the array ll, as shown in FIG. 3. As thus separated, the balance of the lock 20 may be dropped and the separated strands 21 may be picked up and held on the conventional bleaching or dyeing foil wrapper 30 while a bleaching preparation, such as bleaching foam 40, is brushed on the strands 21, as shown in M04. The [oil 30 is thereafter wrapped around and secured to the selected strands while they are acted on by the foam 40. v

This operation is repeated with other locks of hair until, according to the hairdressers taste, a sufficient number of strands of hair in appropriate positions on the head of hair have been selected and wrapped in foil with a bleaching material. The bleaching operation is then completed and the hair is dressed according to the coiffurc desired by the patron and/or the operator.

Although a plurality of strands are selected simultaneously by the above-described technique, thereby saving the operator's time and labor, each selected strand may be bleached to its roots; this avoids the piebald or blotched effect when strands are pulled through a cap of film for subsequent treatment. By first determining the thickness of the lock of hair and then by manipulation of the device in selecting strands, the operator, according to this invention, can quickly select the strands of hair to be frosted both as to location and sizes (i.e., the number of hairs in a strand). The difference between coiffures of frosted hair made according to the prior cap technique and the technique of this invention is readily apparent, especially in a side-by-side comparison, and the appearance of the coiffure obtained by this invention but otherwise identical with that frosted by the prior cap method appeals to the taste of most patrons as being more effective and attractive.

A technique for highlighting" hair according to this invention involves frosting, according to the above technique, a head of hair which has been dyed according to the color desired or which may retain its natural color as the base color. After completion of the bleach, but prior to final dressing, the head of hair is then treated with a creme-type of haircoloring which takes only on the bleached strands. By selecting a creme color which is lighter than the base color, the hair will be highlighted"; by selecting a darker shade, a shadowing or reverse highlighting effect will be obtained.

A still further technique for reverse highlights or shadowing is to first color the hair to the desired light base color and, thereafter, following the technique illustrated in FIGS. 2 to 4, coloring selected strands with a darkening dye, rather than a bleach.

Still other and further variations of the above-described techniques, using a multiple-strand selecting device of the type claimed will occur to and be practiced by those of expected skill in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of this invention as set forth in the following claims.

lclaim:

1. As an article of manufacture, a hair-treating device comprising an array of three or more coplanar hooks, the bights of said hooks being adjacent but spaced from each other and the shanks of said hooks being parallel, and-a handle means supporting and maintaining said hooksin said spaced relationship, whereby said handle means allows the bights of said array of hooks to be manipulated so as to separate a plurality of strands of hair simultaneously from a lock of hair for separate treatment.

2. A hair-treating device as defined in claim 1 in which said handle means constitutes the back of another hair-treating device.

3. A hair-treating device as defined in claim 2 in which said other hair-treating device is a comb, the teeth of said comb and the hooks of said array being coplanar.

4. A hair-treating device as defined in claim 3 in which the bights of the first and last hooks in said array are turned inwardly toward each other, the several bights of the hooks in the array being on substantially equally spaced centers, said array of hooks, the back of the comb serving as handle means for said array, and the teeth of said comb all being molded integrally with each other. 

1. As an article of manufacture, a hair-treating device comprising an array of three or more coplanar hooks, the bights of said hooks being adjacent but spaced from each other and the shanks of said hooks being parallel, and a handle means supporting and maintaining said hooks in said spaced relationship, whereby said handle means allows the bights of said array of hooks to be manipulated so as to separate a pLurality of strands of hair simultaneously from a lock of hair for separate treatment.
 2. A hair-treating device as defined in claim 1 in which said handle means constitutes the back of another hair-treating device.
 3. A hair-treating device as defined in claim 2 in which said other hair-treating device is a comb, the teeth of said comb and the hooks of said array being coplanar.
 4. A hair-treating device as defined in claim 3 in which the bights of the first and last hooks in said array are turned inwardly toward each other, the several bights of the hooks in the array being on substantially equally spaced centers, said array of hooks, the back of the comb serving as handle means for said array, and the teeth of said comb all being molded integrally with each other. 